Failed Physics calc based.... am i doomed?

[Citsouca1988]

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Eh this semester wasn't too easy for me. I have failed a course for the first time which is Physics. Now I am debating if I want to retake it now or retake sometime later in the future. As of right now, I feel wiped out after going to school all year around last year.

I am not sure if I want to retake Physics this summer. Would it be a wise choice for me to take it again now or wait it out until next summer?

 

[Hockeyfannus]

That depends on when you want to apply to pharmacy schools. If you're applying for the class of 2014, definitely retake it this summer or next fall the latest. This way the admission committee will be able to see the new grade you earn. Also, I know a lot of pharmacy schools won't accept anything lower than a D, so it's good to have the F replaced.

Sometimes we just have bad semesters, I totally understand. I was in your shoes last year...I made a huge blunder in ochem; it was hard but I pushed myself to work harder. It paid off.

Good luck to you!

 

[nononsense]

taking it this summer will likely be advantageous because everything will be familiar. you might check to see if it is the same teacher you just had. if the teacher is different, i'd take it (and maybe get a tutor). check out the summer teacher's stats on ratemyprofessor, myspace's professor grading, and pickaprof.com. never a bad idea to research your options.

it's never a good idea to postpone prereqs, especially if you are applying for fall '10 semester. what if you fail it again next summer? there goes a wasted year. also an 'f' on the ol' transcript isn't going to look to good to review committees, but replacing it with a better grade will probably go a long way.

 

[Passion4Sci]

taking it this summer will likely be advantageous because everything will be familiar. you might check to see if it is the same teacher you just had. if the teacher is different, i'd take it (and maybe get a tutor). check out the summer teacher's stats on ratemyprofessor, myspace's professor grading, and pickaprof.com. never a bad idea to research your options.

it's never a good idea to postpone prereqs, especially if you are applying for fall '10 semester. what if you fail it again next summer? there goes a wasted year. also an 'f' on the ol' transcript isn't going to look to good to review committees, but replacing it with a better grade will probably go a long way.

I agree completely.

If you re-take your failed grade immediately, ASAP, you are showing determination and a desire to right your wrong.

Academic burnout is understandable, as these classes are difficult (at least for me they are, I have to go way over Carnegie Rule to get As in courses like Physics and Orgo).

You're likely to feel "wiped out" until the day you graduate from Pharmacy school, so that's a mindset you need to eradicate. Are you taking the time to properly rest and recuperate? (I.e., are you budgeting your time well DURING the semester so you don't need to cram or whip assignments like lab write-ups really fast before they're due?)

The road doesn't get any less difficult as anyone can probably tell you, so I think digging in and driving on is your best course of action. Why wait a year to take the same class when you're likely to have let your knowledge of it slip? Also, can you isolate why you failed it (when you normally have an excellent academic record)?

 

[tootoo30]

Damn I hate Physics! I'm taking it right now and barely passing, if you consider a C passing LOL. I just got to get through this final and if I can squeak by with a C, I will take it LOL

I would take it this summer while it is still fresh in your head and in the summer it's more of a condensed format because of the time constraints.

 

[diastole]

You never doomed if you keep at it. I have noticed from old threads that there are a few people already in pharmacy school who have Fs on their transcripts. I'll be attending pharmacy school in the fall and I have five. One F isn't going to kill you if you rebound from it. Retake the class, find a good tutor and get the tutor to help you with the homework problems you don't understand so you will know your stuff before exams.

Good luck.

 

[GatorRomp]

I agree completely.

If you re-take your failed grade immediately, ASAP, you are showing determination and a desire to right your wrong.


(I.e., are you budgeting your time well DURING the semester so you don't need to cram or whip assignments like lab write-ups really fast before they're due?)

Retaking a class is just that. Whenever that time is within the time frame allotted to turn in your application. What is needed is your grade for evaluation.

I tend procrastinate so much that I surprise myself a bit with the success I've had thus far. What I know is this: I had better clean up my act before I start pharmacy school. I remember when I fell so ill when a lab deadline was looming fast and furiously (organic chemistry II) the next day and it was halfway completed. I adjusted and thankfully escaped with a B. What I like with Physics/calc is that one can simply use indefinite integral to solve certain problems and eliminate messy calculations.

• Make use of simple calculus to solve problems.
• Work problems; thankfully my professor loved conceptual problems.
• Enjoy physics.

Some tricks: In physics, many equations fit into one another.

1. Example: Average (with a bar on top of P) power = W/t
2. W = (F cos 0)s = Fs(because cos 0 = 1).
3. Then one could also say: avg. P = Fs/t (where s is distance)
4. But you need acceleration to solve the problem
5. Don't sweat: F =ma
6. New equation is: avg P = ma(s)/t
7. If you wanted to have more fun, you can recognize that s/t = v
8. And suddenly avg P = ma(v)

As you can see, the equation has taken many different forms. Physics is purely conceptual and you must understand how the theorems or equations fit into the given problem. I would take physics in the fall to give me more time to concentrate rather than in the summer; a much quicker pace for an interesting albeit difficult to grasp subject. Good luck!

 

[Passion4Sci]

Retaking a class is just that. Whenever that time is within the time frame allotted to turn in your application. What is needed is your grade for evaluation.

This attitude leads right into this:

I tend procrastinate so much that I surprise myself a bit with the success I've had thus far. What I know is this: I had better clean up my act before I start pharmacy school.

Anyway, your Physics advice is spot on =)

 

[GatorRomp]

This attitude leads right into this:


Anyway, your Physics advice is spot on =)

Lol! When my procrastination earned me a C for regular physics, I can tell you that I did not panic but I needed time to lick my wounds. I also knew I would have to do much better in physics for UF. I signed up for Physics/calc and aced it (also aced physics II).

I knew this much: it pays to be confident and the extra time I had in the fall worked wonders in my grasping the material and was no longer studying just to pass. I used that attitude for the remainder of my classes and PCAT studies and it payed dividend. Every student start with a strong motivation to succeed but somehow, it tends to fade away. But it is imperative to manage time efficiently, however cliched it is.

Thx for your response!

 

[Cangri One]

wow people actually get in with some F's...gives me a little hope I got some C's and I was starting to think my chances were done. just recently got a C+ (79.7) in Microbiology and I havent been able to sleep for days lol.

 

[atticus27]

Physics is a beast especially depending on who the professor is. I also recommend retaking it in the Summer. It's easier to study intensely over a short period than trying to master physics while juggling 3-4 other classes in the Fall.

 

[FuturePharmist]

wow people actually get in with some F's...gives me a little hope I got some C's and I was starting to think my chances were done. just recently got a C+ (79.7) in Microbiology and I havent been able to sleep for days lol.

I have 2 F's early on in my transcript. If you do well the second time, keep the rest of your grades up and address it in your essay, schools may give you a break.

 

[Passion4Sci]

I have 2 F's early on in my transcript. If you do well the second time, keep the rest of your grades up and address it in your essay, schools may give you a break.

Every AdCom understands that adapting to college lifestyle (Maybe the first time you're away from family ever, managing yourself all by yourself, dealing with roomies, partying, girls/guys, etc) can be difficult for some, so Fr/So GPA is almost always looked at differently than Jr/Sr GPA, that's pretty standard across disciplines. An upward trend is what they like to see... That you got your act together and there you have it.

I have never gotten an F, but I do have 3 Cs on my 280+ hours of transcript, and no one really ever gave the Cs a second glance.

 

[tootoo30]

Man, I had about four F's, alot of C's and a whole lot of W's and got into pharmacy school this year. Only one was a prerequisite, Calculus, which I took over and aced. What I did was seek out schools that looked only at my prerequisite GPA, but I did manage to graduate with a 3.28 GPA.

 

[Farcus]

i'm probably gonna get a C or C+ in my phy 1 class but thank god it doesn't really matter since i got in already so I just need a C to maintain good grades. This class was hard as hell. I'm pretty good at other science but damn phy is just hard and I don't know why we need it as future pharmacist.

but u gotta love phys too though, I hated it at first but once u start doing problem they're kind of cool i guess, with all the conservation of energy/momentum problem and forces.

 

[Lateralus1441]

Eh this semester wasn't too easy for me. I have failed a course for the first time which is Physics. Now I am debating if I want to retake it now or retake sometime later in the future. As of right now, I feel wiped out after going to school all year around last year.

I am not sure if I want to retake Physics this summer. Would it be a wise choice for me to take it again now or wait it out until next summer?

Ur not doomed. I got a D in Cal2 my freshmen year and an F my sophmore year in Bio2. Replaced both with A's and eventually graduated with a 3.5. Killed the PCAT and the rest was history. If you really want pharmacy school you'll find a way to get it.

 

[Montclair]

wow people actually get in with some F's...gives me a little hope I got some C's and I was starting to think my chances were done. just recently got a C+ (79.7) in Microbiology and I havent been able to sleep for days lol.

Yup, 3 F's, 1 D, and 1 C.......Got into USN CO 2012 (Got into Western U also, but declined).

Just in case new pre-pharm students didn't know...PharmCAS calculates ALL your grades (even those F's ,D's and C's that you retook STILL get counted..so try not to get them if you can help it).

 

[tootoo30]

Okay so I was able to pull off Physics with a B! What helped me was the website www.cramster.com. It's a free site that helps with alot of different subjects, physics being one. They explain the problems and answers in simple terms that are easy to grasp. I highly recommend the site to anyone struggling with physics.

HTH